One key component of any computer system is a device to store data. One common type of data storage device is a disc drive. The most basic parts of a disc drive are an information storage disc that is rotated, an actuator that moves a read/write head (head) to various locations over the substantially concentric data tracks of a disc, and electrical circuitry used for encoding data so that the data can be successfully retrieved and written to the disc surface. A microprocessor controls most of the operations of the disc drive including passing requested data read by the transducer to the computer system and receiving data from the computer system for storage on the disc.
A problem associated with disc drives is vibrations at certain frequencies, which causes the head to move off a designated data track. In other words, if there is even a slight vibration, the head may move away from the center of the designated data track, causing data to be misread or causing a failure to properly write data. One source of vibration results from a seek operation that excites head suspensions, which in turn causes the head to vibrate. The vibration causes run-out, i.e., an off-track motion, and off-track motion becomes more acute as the density of the data tracks increase. As such, challenges remain and a need persists for improvements in methods and apparatus to reduce vibrations in head suspensions for data storage devices.